The present invention relates to an improvement in dental implants including, without limitation, dental implants of the type taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,964,766 (1999) entitled Buttress Thread Implant.
A historic concern in the technology of dental implantation has been that of maximizing securement, more technically known as bio-integration, of the dental implant within the cortical bone of the maxilla or mandible of the dental patient. Many structures and methods have been suggested to achieve this end, the same including, without limitation, buttress thread implants of the type referenced above.
The present invention therefore relates to a novel structure for a dental implant, the design for use with a specific method for the provision of enhanced bone-to-implant securement. As such, the instant invention responds to a long-felt in the art of implant dentistry.
A dental implant for securement within a bore within a maxilla or mandible, inclusive of the cortical bone thereof, includes a threaded elongate anchor having a proximal upper portion having a larger outside diameter than that of an integral distal lower portion thereof, said anchor defining, in axial cross-section, an envelope in which said upper portion substantially defines a cylinder and said lower portion substantially defines a conical section, and an engagable head integrally dependent from a proximal surface of said proximal portion of said anchor, said head having an outside diameter smaller than a greatest outside diameter of said proximal portion of said anchor, said outside diameter of said head also equal or less than a diameter of an entry region into said bore. A greatest axial length of said lower portion comprises a length of about 6.0 mm.
It is an object of the invention to provide a dental implant typically having a threaded lateral surface thereof, the implant having superior characteristics of gripping to the mandible or maxilla bone interface and of resistance to micro-mechanical movements such as stresses and the like.
It is another object to provide an improved dental implant, and method of use thereof, having improved characteristics of axial and rotational stability relative to the anatomical bone interface.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved dental implant which, in combination with a specially sized bone bore provides for enhanced stability and durability relative to prior art structures and methods.
The above and yet other objects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the hereinafter set forth Brief Description of the Drawings, Detailed Description of the Invention and Claims, appended herewith.